'I love you': emotional first words as patient speaks again after remarkable recovery following brain injury
A man who lost his ability to speak following a life-changing brain infection has shared his heartful gratitude for the rehabilitation team who helped him regain his voice.
The moment Alastair Girvan spoke again has been described as “truly amazing” by the staff in Lisburn’s Thompson House Hospital.
“I love you” were the first words 61-year-old Alastair said to his sister, after showing remarkable determination and courage.
Alistair’s story – being shared during Brain Injury Awareness Month – highlights both the resilience of patients living with brain injury and the vital role of Specialist Rehabilitation Teams in supporting recovery.
He was first admitted to hospital on the March 19, 2025 where he was diagnosed with Rhombencephalitis, a rare brain infection affecting the brainstem and cerebellum. Following initial treatment, he was transferred in September to Lisburn’s Thompson House Hospital to continue his rehabilitation journey.
Thompson House Hospital provides regional post-acute assessment and rehabilitation for adult patients living with an Acquired Brain Injury or Complex Neuro Disability, supporting people like Alastair on their road to recovery.
When Alastair arrived at Thompson House, he was unable to speak and relied on a whiteboard to communicate. Through extensive rehabilitation with the hospital’s speech and language therapist, Klara Anderson, he is now using a speaking valve to communicate with staff and family, a development described as “truly amazing” by the hospital team.
Klara explained: “When Alastair came to Thompson House Hospital, he had a cuffed tracheostomy to protect his lungs from secretions, due to an impaired swallow.
"This prevented him from speaking. Alastair would use a whiteboard to communicate. He was clearly a really communicative person as he would have filled the whiteboard over both sides until he ran out of ink.”
Working closely with the South Eastern Trust’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) team and physiotherapist, Mairead Dempsey, Klara explored whether Alastair could tolerate a speaking valve.
“We worked together with Alastair and his ENT team to see if we could try a speaking valve to give him his voice back.
"Mairead and myself worked to see if Alastair could manage the cuff down initially and if he could manage his secretions. As he had a good cough, he was able to progress and we now can use a speaking valve for Alastair and when it is on, he just talks constantly.”
Klara poignantly recalled how when Alastair used the speaking valve for the first time he turned to his sister and simply said, “‘I love you.. It was truly amazing”
As his rehabilitation journey continues, Alastair described the staff at Thompson House as “absolutely fantastic.”
"It is nice and peaceful here. Klara is absolutely excellent. When I was first admitted to hospital, I was told I was going to have a very long recovery ahead of me. I am so happy to be here. It has really helped me.”
Thompson House Hospital ward manager, Bronagh Madden added: “When a patient to be able to communicate with you so directly, it has a huge impact on them.
"Alastair has made great progress since he came to us in September last year. It has been a great achievement for our nursing staff to see this outcome and the difference that they make to a patient like Alastair.”